1. Not a CSO at a Top 25 Law School?
Don’t Fret! You Don’t Need a Wishing Well
to Help Your Students Find Jobs
by Keeley P. Mitchell and Samantha H. Coyne
So you work in the career services office of a law From the Mouth of Law Firms
school that is not ranked by the US News and
World Report as being in the top 15, or top 25 for Laurie Lenigan, Director of Legal Recruiting at
that matter? Then you definitely have come across Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, which is head-
more than your fair share of discouraged students quartered in Pittsburgh, says that her firm takes
and alumni questioning their law school selection. full advantage of the cost and time savings that re-
Search Google for “Is Law School Worth It?” and cruiting locally affords them. Lenigan also adds
you will get over 18 million hits — most of which that while the firm tries to stay in the top tier of the
will tell you that law school is a terrible invest- class, they will also consider graduates with great
ment. With all the hype surrounding the relative work experience.
worth of a law degree from any institution these
days, how can your CSO best market your stu- What is the message the CSO needs to deliver to
dents and alumni and help them find jobs? Or its students? If one is still in school, get those
should those CSO staff members at schools that grades up. Good grades alone can get one an inter-
fall outside the so-called magical top 25 give up view at many firms. If one has graduated nowhere
now? near the top of his or her class but with good rea-
son, that graduate needs to tell his or her story in
Thankfully, the news is not that dire. Yes, it is true the cover letter. If a candidate does not have top
that students attending law schools not viewed as grades because he or she was working full time
being among the highest “ranked” may take lon- during law school, the candidate should make sure
ger to get jobs than recent Harvard Law grads. the recruiter knows that. A candidate’s experience
And, it is also true that the majority of these stu- at a local bank may more than compensate for
dents will most likely not make as much money as so-so grades.
many Yale Law grads (because a relatively larger
percentage of Yale Law grads may obtain jobs at Even law firm giants such as Skadden, Arps,
the largest law firms). We should resign ourselves, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP seek viable candi-
without self-pity or rancor, to those facts. But also dates outside the so-called top-ranked schools. Of-
understand that many of these students are attrac- ten when looking outside US News’s top 25 law
tive employees at many firms, especially the firms schools for candidates, these firms focus their re-
surrounding their law school. cruiting efforts at the regional law schools located
near their firm. Students in the top 10% of their
class at regional law schools can land an inter-
view, and, ultimately, a job at these large firms. As
for lesser ranked law schools outside a firm’s re-
Reprinted from NALP Bulletin, September 2011. ã 2011 National Association for Law Placement, Inc.® All rights
reserved. This article may be printed for personal use only. Any reproduction, retransmission or republication of all or
part of this material is expressly prohibited unless NALP or the copyright owner has granted prior written consent. For
reprint permission contact the NALP office at (202) 835-1001 or www.nalp.org.

2. gion, all is not lost. Firms continually seek candi- employers to apply for these positions. Further-
dates from law schools that have historical rela- more, it is important to note that strong regional
tionships with the firm. What does that mean? law schools that are not ranked in the top 15 or top
Firms will hunt for candidates from the alma 25 are often the feeders to these offices.
maters of their current attorneys. Why not? Logi-
cally, it makes sense. If a law school produced one
successful lawyer employed at the firm, then that So What Can the CSO Do?
law school has the ability to produce more success-
ful attorneys. This is where it pays for the CSO to On two separate occasions, roundtable discus-
know where its alums are working and keep the sions with legal employers in Pittsburgh and Phila-
lines of communication open. delphia resulted in the same message being deliv-
ered in both cities. “If you have a top candidate
The larger firms in smaller legal markets, such as whom you feel is being overlooked, pick up the
Philadelphia, have reaped the rewards of the re- phone and call us.” Granted, the CSO cannot call
cent downturn in the market. Such Philadel- on behalf of each of its students, but if a CSO re-
phia-based law firms as Cozen O’Connor and Pep- ally does have a diamond in the rough then it
per Hamilton LLP have been able to attract more needs to make that call. Along similar lines, en-
Ivy League graduates as the competition for jobs courage students to speak with faculty members
in markets such as New York, Chicago, and San and other administrative personnel who have con-
Francisco has become stiffer. While this may be nections to legal employers. A faculty member or
the case, the larger firms in the smaller markets the director of career services writing a letter to a
still continue to actively recruit candidates from legal employer that outlines a student’s outstand-
the local law schools in their region as well as to ac- ing qualities can have a positive effect. Those stu-
cept résumé collections from students attending dents who worked for their career services office
lesser ranked schools from outside the region. for the past two summers and helped to revamp
that office’s online filing system or were the star
tour guide for the admissions office are in great po-
And What About Those District sitions to ask someone from the law school to
reach out to their chosen firm. Most hiring part-
Attorney and Public Defender Jobs? ners and managers will agree to at least look at a
résumé received in this fashion.
Due to the current state of the economy, most DA
and PD offices have seen a surge in applications
from candidates attending top law schools. With
this surge, the competitiveness for these jobs has What Have Your Alumni Done for You
naturally increased. And while grades and law re- Lately?
view will definitely open doors at the district attor-
ney and public defender offices, even in cities like As mentioned previously, many legal employers
New York and Philadelphia candidates need more hire from law schools where there is a historical
than a great grade point average. Hiring attorneys connection. Thus, it is imperative that CSOs, espe-
also want to see a candidate’s commitment to pub- cially those outside US News’s op 25, keep track
lic service and criminal law. In many instances, a of where their alumni are working. Students and
candidate with a 3.25 with a strong commitment graduates should be encouraged to call alumni and
and passion for public service will beat out the Ivy not be afraid to ask for an informational interview.
League student who is on law review but cannot Of course, an informational interview should
express why he or she wants to work in the DA’s never be used as a way of asking for a job, but it is
office. Career services offices should encourage perfectly acceptable to ask the best way to get a
students who have demonstrated their allegiance job at the firm or organization.
to public service and can articulate their goals to
Reprinted from NALP Bulletin, September 2011. ã 2011 National Association for Law Placement, Inc.® All rights
reserved. This article may be printed for personal use only. Any reproduction, retransmission or republication of all or
part of this material is expressly prohibited unless NALP or the copyright owner has granted prior written consent. For
reprint permission contact the NALP office at (202) 835-1001 or www.nalp.org.

3. For current students, the CSO should provide op- omy that stubbornly refuses to add workers in
portunities through programs where students can most industries, and seems particularly against
meet local lawyers. It should be stressed to stu- adding more lawyers, is enough to make even the
dents that they need to follow up with everyone most qualified student need reassurance. Part of
they meet. Graduates should consider volunteer- the job of the career services office of any law
ing to get some work experience and make con- school is to remind its students that they will be
tacts. The CSO can act as a match maker as well successful and that the office is there to help them.
for graduates — introducing them to fellow Moreover, with careful planning, targeted net-
alumni who may be able to assist them in their job working, and hard work, there are jobs to be had.
search. It’s trite but true — most people find jobs
through their network, not from a job posting. And
for students and graduates from regional and Keeley P. Mitchell, Esq., is Director of Public
lower-tier schools this is even more the case. Interest and Government Relations at the
University of Pittsburgh School of Law,
where Samantha H. Coyne, MBA, is
And Finally… Employer Relations Specialist. This article
was submitted on behalf of the NALP
Probably the best, and easiest, thing for any CSO Recruiting Section.
staff member to do nowadays is to remind their stu-
dents to take a deep breath. Searching for a job is
always stressful. Searching for a job in an econ-
Reprinted from NALP Bulletin, September 2011. ã 2011 National Association for Law Placement, Inc.® All rights
reserved. This article may be printed for personal use only. Any reproduction, retransmission or republication of all or
part of this material is expressly prohibited unless NALP or the copyright owner has granted prior written consent. For
reprint permission contact the NALP office at (202) 835-1001 or www.nalp.org.